City ends contract with Pat's Towing

WORCESTER — The city has terminated its contract with Pat's Towing, City Manager Michael V. O'Brien informed city councilors Wednesday afternoon.

"I take this action solely in the interest of public safety because of recent actions and judgments involving employees, recent serious allegations of illegalities by the owner of record and details presented to me by the Chief of Police Gary Gemme," Mr. O'Brien wrote in a communication to councilors.

The city has contracted with replacement tow companies to cover the five tow zones previously assigned to Pat's Towing, including current vendors. Mr. O'Brien said Direnzo Towing and Recovery, Early's Garage, Belsito Auto Center and Boulevard Garage will handle police tows in Pat's former zones starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 12.

Chief Gemme's recommendation to terminate the contract included reference to the arrest of owner Patsy Santa Maria Sr. during the trial of his son, Patsy Santa Maria Jr. Mr. Santa Maria Sr. allegedly tried to bribe a witness by offering up to $25,000 to alter his testimony at Mr. Santa Maria Jr.'s trial on assault charges in connection with the beating of an employee of Curtis Plow at Pat's in 2011. On the fourth day of the trial, Mr. Santa Maria Jr. pleaded guilty to assault charges and was sentenced to 18 months in the House of Correction, with the sentence suspended for two years with probation.

The Chief wrote that from Aug. 22, 2008, through Aug. 22, 2013, police received 261 emergency calls for police to respond to the business at 5 Shrewsbury St.

The chief went on to detail other incidents, including one in 2001 during which a woman was allegedly trapped inside the tow yard by employees who laughed and ridiculed her. Despite having recently suffered a stroke, the woman climbed a fence topped with barbed wire to escape, the chief wrote. The woman had tried to retrieve her wallet from her car so she could pay for the tow, the chief wrote.

Chief Gemme also noted that the police tow contract requires area tows to bring cars to police headquarters for investigative purposes. Having the owner of the tow company charged with witness tampering and subordination of perjury "casts a cloud on the integrity of evidence gathered from vehicles placed in the hands of a tow company and towed to the Police Station for evidentiary purposes in criminal cases," he wrote.

A voice mail message left for Patsy Santa Maria Sr. was not immediately returned Wednesday night.